Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so quiet around here! I had all these wonderful plans for Xander's school time, but honestly, my new job has been kicking my butt. I am working most nights and weekends in addition to the normal hours, so I'm just trying to enjoy my time with him when I have it.
Recently Xander said to me "Mom, Duplos are for little kids. Legos are for big kids, so we need to get some Legos." Guess my baby is growing up. I got him some Lego Juniors and some other "big kid" Legos because he really wanted the super hero ones. He has been doing great; still needs a lot of help, but getting better. I'm loving listening to him playing with his figurines!
He's still reading up a storm.
In bigger news, I just bought a house. It is definitely more scary doing it as a single mom than it was the first time I bought a house. I'm excited to be able to give him a home and a yard though. It is definitely a fixer-upper, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of before and after pictures. Maybe I'll even have a few DIY posts along the way! We'll wait to move until this summer since I just can't make it happen with my work schedule. Xander fluctuates between excited and apprehensive. He can't remember living anywhere else and is going to miss his Grandpa. I'm definitely hoping we find ourselves very happy in the new home!
Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).
Background
Since we were learning about the heart and lungs, we went over how the heart is a pump that pumps the blood around the body. The blood carries oxygen so that our muscles can work. We also talked about how your muscles need more oxygen when they're working harder, so you heart has to pump faster. The Magic School Bus Lost Works Out was a good episode for talking about the role of oxygen in the muscles and why the blood needs to circulate (on Netflix).
Changing Heart Rate
Materials:
Stethoscope
Timer
Place to write results
Procedure:
We started out by using our stethoscope to measure our resting heart rates. I did it by setting the timer for 30 seconds and multiplying by two. You could also go ahead and do the whole minute if it would be less confusing for your little one. Once we wrote our resting heart rates down, it was time for some exercise! Xander ran around in circles, did jumping jacks and stayed really active for a 3 minutes and we took his heart rate again. Then I exercised for the same amount of time and we took my heart rate. When we were all done we compared the results.
(We'd been to a party that day, hence the Batman face painting)
The Conversation:
I tried to ask Xander what he noticed about the numbers, and help him get to the idea that the active heart rates were faster than the resting. Then I asked him why the heart would need to pump faster (more times every minute) when we are moving than when we are resting. I helped lead him to the idea that the muscles are working harder, so need more oxygen.
I recently purchased a Mathtacular DVD for Xander. Even though it is super long, and formatted more for use in an elementary classroom than entertainment purchases, he LOVES it. He's been watching it frequently and been very excited about numbers and mathematics lately. Not wanting to lose the momentum, I decided to look for a set of base ten blocks. Unfortunately, they all seemed pretty expensive, so I was absolutely THRILLED to find some place value cards at Dollar Tree.
Place Value Cards from Dollar Tree
To go with them, I made this place value mat. The colors all line up and I included a place to write the numbers at the bottom also. By printing it on card stock and laminating it, he can write and erase over and over. To use it, I gave him a stack of cards, had him sort them into their place values, and then figure out the total.
This year we're working on Preschool Themes. You can check out this post for our learning goals) One of the big themes we're working on is the Human Body. The most recent section was Heart and Lungs.
Books
As always, we read a ton of books! He really seemed to like A Drop of Blood, probably because it starred a vampire.
Pumping like the Heart
This was one of those times when an activity seemed great in my head... but didn't quite work out. The idea was to have Xander see how much water he could pump using a hand pump in 30 seconds. Then we could discuss how his hand got tired, but his heart pumps all day and night. I'd done a similar activity in a 7th grade classroom and it worked out wonderfully. Unfortunately, I picked up a cheap bulb from Wal-Mart, not knowing that it didn't have a valve inside, so it made a horrible pump. Next time, I definitely need to invest in a good rubber pump with a valve. You could also add a hose clip to simulate clogged arteries and see how much harder it is to pump.
Model of a lung
We made the very popular model of a lung. Cut the bottom off a two liter bottle and stick a balloon inside. Then cover the bottom with a bigger balloon, or heavy piece of plastic. The little balloon simulates the lungs while the bottom simulates the diaphragm. Push up on the diaphragm, and the lungs squeeze out the air. Expand the "chest cavity" by pulling down on the bottom portion, and the lungs fill.
Listening to Our Hearts
I picked up this inexpensive stethoscope for Xander. He has really enjoyed listening to everyone's heart! He likes to compare.
Science
We did two Alphabet in Simple Science posts for this unit. We did B for Blood and H for Heart. Be sure to check them both out for fun activities!
Sensory Play
We made a simple sensory bin out of red kidney beans, some googly eyes, some skeletons (left over from Halloween) and some straws and balloons. As you can see, Xander dove right in.
Blood Sensory Bin
We used red water beads (which somehow ended up pink) for red blood cells, ing pong balls for white blood cells, and little glass gems for platelets.
Since I'm having trouble being consistent about math, I have started having Xander do 10 minutes of either Splash Math or a Math Age 4-6 app. We also try to incorporate math play when we can. Here he is making a mess with learning with his number board. After a while of free play, I had him skip count by fives.
Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).
